Ancient icon Saint Demetrius and Natalia Russia 19th century

Ancient icon Saint Demetrius and Natalia Russia 19th century.This orthodox icon dates back to the 19th century and comes from Moscow, Russia. The religious icon depicts the saints Demetrius and Natalia and measures 31x26 cm.Saint Demetrius was a martyr of obscure origins, to the point that some scholars doubt his existence. According to traditional hagiography, Saint Demetrius was a deacon of Thessalonica where he was persecuted and martyred with spears around 306 AD. A later narrative instead has it that he was a Roman soldier, and for this reason he was adopted as patron saint by the Crusaders next to San Giorgio. Many representations equate him to the Saint by placing him on a horse, portrayed while piercing a Moor. The relics of Saint Demetrius are kept in Thessaloniki, Greece.Santa Natalia martyr lived in Cordoba under the Umayyad caliphate. From her husband Aurelio, also a Christian, she had two daughters whom she protected for a time by hiding her faith. One day, however, witnessing the offenses of the Muslims against the martyr John, he decides to suffer martyrdom for Christ. He therefore entrusted his two daughters to the Tabanense monastery and entered the mosque with his face uncovered, thus making himself recognized as a Christian. Saint Natalia was thus arrested and martyred together with her husband and a monk from San Saba in Jerusalem.This precious Russian icon is shipped with an appraisal compiled by an expert of the Russian Cultural Heritage and an export document.